Monday, June 04, 2007

When do military excercises involve no troops?

The European Council today has announced its second military exercise “MILEX07” which will run from June 7-15.The key point to note,“No troops will be deployed”.

It appears that there is big trouble in Alisia. Friction between the Transitional Government of Alisia and a rebel group (National Freedom Movement)has caused aid to be blocked from refugee camps in the North West of Alisia. The UN, though on the ground is incapable of saving the day.

So what would any sensible person do? Ask for the EU’s Integrated Police Unit – “a synthesis of military attitude and police capability,” based on the Italian Caribinieri, but with Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Romania, Dutch and Turkish troops. (Hold on did I read that right Turkish military?)

Only they don’t, because they don’t (yet) have the capacity. According to the press release, “The exercise will be conducted in Brussels (EU OpsCentre) and in Enköping (EU FHQ). Some 200 "players" and supporting personnel are expected to take part”. So despite the trouble in Alisia, rather than deploy the “force up to 2000 personnel including an Integrated Police Unit (IPU), temporarily placed under military responsibility”.A crowd of people in Brussels and Sweden will talk about the situation under the control of Lt Gen David Leakey.

Interestingly Alisia seems to bear a striking resemblance to Darfur, which as EU Referendum pointed out, according to a Reuters report, “France is asking its European Union "partners" to consider sending a force of up to 12,000 troops to Chad to provide aid for people fleeing the Darfur conflict in Sudan”.